Author: Jalatian Sonya

AZERI CBANK URGES W. UNION HALT OVER KARABAKH
By Lada Yevgrashina

Reuters
Aug 1 2008
UK

BAKU, Aug 1, (Reuters) – Azerbaijan’s central bank has called on local
banks to halt operations with the world’s top payment transfer company,
Western Union (WU.N: Quote, Profile, Research), because it works in
the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh area.

According to the text of a central bank letter to local banks, the
text of which was seen by Reuters, the recommendation also applied to
another payment services company, MoneyGram (MGI.N: Quote, Profile,
Research).

"All 42 banks who are members of the Azerbaijan Banks Association (ABA)
support the central bank’s decision as it is based on the national
interests of Azerbaijan," ABA head Eldar Ismailov told Reuters.

Karabakh, an Armenian-populated region of Azerbaijan, broke away after
a war soon after the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991 and is backed by
Armenia. Azerbaijan views its return as a priority.

"Despite all requests from Azerbaijan, Western Union and MoneyGram
have continued to do money transfers in occupied Azeri territories,"
the central bank letter said.

"The central bank has recommended to banks working in Azerbaijan that
they stop using these systems for money transfers," it added.

The news came as foreign ministers from Armenia and Azerbaijan
met in Moscow on Friday to seek a peace deal on the conflict in
Nagorno-Karabakh.

A ceasefire was agreed in 1994, but Nagorno-Karabakh and a vast
surrounding area are under separatist control.

Western Union and MoneyGram have no offices in Azerbaijan but their
transfer systems have been operational there since 1990s.

A representative of the International Bank of Azerbaijan told Reuters
that the country’s banking system won’t suffer big losses as a result
of halting operations with Western Union and MoneyGram.

"I think the losses that Western Union and MoneyGram will suffer from
not having operations in Azerbaijan will force them to reconsider
the situation in favour of Azerbaijan," the representative said.

Western Union and MoneyGram could not be immediately reached for
comment. (Reporting by Lada Yevgrashina, writing by Toni Vorobyova)

RUSSIA NEEDS SECURE LAND TRANSIT TO ARMENIA

PanARMENIAN.Net
01.08.2008 15:51 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Russia doesn’t need a span of former Georgian SSR,
because it’s strategically useless, says an article titled "Western
Transcaucasia: goals and ways to achieve them".

However, according to the author, Russia can’t put up with
transformation of its neighbors’ territory into a multipurpose
anti-Russian platform. "It includes bases of separatists, laboratory
of velvet resolutions, GUAM and home for NATO forces. Georgia has even
left behind the Baltic States known for their Russophobia," he says.

"Russia needs a secure, cheap and quality rest for its citizens in
local resorts and delivery of agricultural production in compliance
with Russian standards. It needs a land transit to Armenia, its only
ally in the Transcaucasia, surrounded by hostile Azerbaijan, neutral
Iran, NATO Turkey and NATO-aspired Georgia.

Some U.S. officials offer to resolve the Karabakh problem though
exchange of territories between Azerbaijan and Armenia, the latter
being isolated from Iran. An air-bridge a-la Berlin is impossible,
since Russia’s transport aviation is weak. We should never forget
about the 102nd base located in Armenia, which was reproached for
‘not sufficient pro-Russian position’. However, living in permanent
threat of blockade, our ally is holding on! No one knows how patient
it can be. Furthermore, in case of U.S. aggression against Iran the
issue of Iranian Azerbaijan will emerge and Armenia will one day
face a united 20-million Azerbaijan," says the article published by
Military-Industrial Courier (Voyenno-Promyshlenniy Kuryer).

CONSERVATIVE PARTY TO MAKE PART OF ARMENIAN NATIONAL CONGRESS

Noyan Tapan

Au gust 1, 2008

YEREVAN, AUGUST 1, NOYAN TAPAN. Admitting the topicality of solution of
short-term and current political problems of declaration on creation
of the Armenian National Congress, the Conservative Party, at the
July 31 sitting of its Central Board, unanimously made a decision to
join the Armenian National Congress.

"The current illegitimate government in its essence is not able
to fulfil such priorities, as, we hope, we will manage to fulfil
together with our colleagues from the Armenian National Congress,"
the same day’s statement of the Conservative Party read.

TO BE SIGNED BY THE NUCLEUS

Hayots Ashkhar Daily
Published on Aug 01, 2008
Armenia

According to Levon Zourabyan, the nucleus of the political parties
participating in the movement will sign the declaration on the
establishment of the Armenian National Congress "in solemn conditions",
during the rally which is going to be held today.

In response to the question how many parties are going to sign the
declaration, Levon Zourabyan said, "It is very difficult to mention
a concrete number at the moment, but those who will attend the August
1 rally will be able to familiarize themselves with the situation."

COMMITTEE APPROVES M. JOANOVICH’S CANDIDACY

Hayots Ashkhar Daily
Published on July 31, 2008
Armenia

In a session convened on July 29, the US House of Foreign Affairs
Committee approved Maria Jovanovich’s candidacy for the post of the
US Ambassador in Armenia. The Committee’s decision is still to be
confirmed in the plenary session of the Senate.

The post of the US Ambassador in Armenia has been vacant since
September 2006. After being frozen twice in the Senate, the candidacy
of Richard Hoagland, a diplomat whose views obviously deny the
Genocide, was recalled.

The Bush Administration proposed M. Jovanovich’s candidacy in March
2008.

INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCE DEVOTED TO THE PROBLEMS OF HAMSHEN AND HAMSHEN

"Noravank" Foundation
30 July 2008

ARMENIANS

On July 23 in "Congress" hotel in Yerevan was held an international
scientific conference on the subject "Hamshen and Hamshen Armenians:
history and culture" by the initiative of the RA NAS (National
Academy of Science) Institute of Oriental Studies and Yerkir Union
for Repatriation and Settlement. Specialists from Armenia, Russia and
Turkey appeared with reports. The conference was quite comprehensive:
Were made reports devoted to the problems of Hamshen and Hamshen
Armenians.

The director of the Institute of Oriental Studies, Ruben Safrastian,
was the first to take the floor with words of welcome accentuating
the importance of studying the problems of Hamshen Armenians. The
conference participants were welcomed by Deputy Minister of Culture
Gagik Gyurjyan, Vice President of the RA NAS – Vladimir Barkhudaryan,
the representative of Foreign Ministry’s Committee for Diaspora – Artak
Zakaryan, the representative of "Yerkir" Union – Sevak Artsruni. In
conclusion of his contensive speech S. Artsruni called for the ones
present to honor the memory of Hrant Dink with a minute of silence.

The first session presided by Professor R. Safrastyan began with
the report of the Yerevan State University senior lecturer of the
Department of Study of Turlic Language, 0Noravank" Foundation expert,
Candidate of Philological Science Ruben Melkonyan "The problem
of ethnic identity in Turkey and Hamshen Armeniahns." The report
was mainly touching upon the problem of "crisis identity" and the
phenomena caused by it.

Speaking about the problem of the apostate Armenians in Turkey,
the reporter presented some nuances of their present condition and
stressed up that the Hamshen Armenians were different from the other
groups of forcedly Islamized Armenians by a number of peculiarities,
and, accordingly, the scientific approach to the problem was also to
be different.

The Second report was made by the Turkish Hacettepe University
lecturer, Doctor Erkhan Erson who presented economic, social and
cultural components of identity of the western group of Hamshen
Armenians. The Turkish scientist accentuated that as a result of a
number of phenomena of up-to-date world are upset important elements
of the Hamsen Armenians’ mode of life exerting serious influence on
transformation of Hamshen identity.

The report of the prominent research worker of the RA NAS Institute
of Archeology and Ethnography, head of Armenological Center in
"Noravank" Foundation, PhD Harutyun Marutyan was devoted to the role
of traumatic memory in preserving Armenian identity in Turkey. It is
of special importance the scientist’s conclusion that when it is the
matter of peoples’ identity, th an one is to be led predominantly
by general, flexible formulations and not by rules, definitions and
formulas inherent to exact sciences. In H. Marutyan’s report, along
with theoretical basis, where are also brought examples taken from
different sources, which made the report still richer.

At the second session of the conference, presided by H. Marutyan,
were presented the reports about dialect and culture of Hamshens,
some of which are worth being singled out.

The report of the Docent of Turkic Language Study Department, Candidate
of Philological Science Lusine Sahakyan was devoted to the language
policy of the Ottoman Empire in Hamshen district, were presented
the consequences of that policy. The author presented the Armenian
literary translation of some songs from the repertory of the Armenian
musical choral "Vova" as well as their profound and thorough analysis.

The report of Ayshenur Kolivar of Hamshen origin was devoted to so
called "Hamshen Language" in Western Armenia.

The report of Karine Brutyan, the lecturer of Folklore Study
Department, Yerevan State Conservatory after Komitas, was extremely
interesting and highly professional. It was titled "Review of musical
heritage of Hamshenian Armeniajns."

The third session, presided by the director of the RA NAS Institute
of History, correspondent member of the academy, professor Ashot
Merlkonyan, began with the report of a well known=2 0anthropologist,
Docent of the Department of Turkic Studies of the Yerevan State
University, senior scientific worker of the Institute of Archeology
and Ethnography Nvard Kochar – "The place of Hamshen Armenians
in the system of other Armenian ethno-territorial groups." The
facts represented as a result of anthropological analysis about
anthropological belonging of the Hamshenian Armenians, in particular,
to Armenoids, were a worthy response to the confirmation of some
Turkish "scientists" that the Hamshens come from Turks.

The philologist who has been engaged in the problems of Hamshen
Armenians, Chief Editor of the newspaper "Dzayn hamshenakan" (Voice
of Hamshens), Vice-Chairman of the friendly association "Hamshen"
Sergey Vardanyan presented an interesting report about the regions
bordering Hopa and Ajaria, as well as about the apostate Hamshen
Armenians exiled from there to the Middle Asia in 1944 and researches
conducted in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Kirgizstan.

The report of the head of the Yerevan State University Department
of Study of Turkic Language, Candidate of Historical Science, Docent
Alexander Safaryan was titled "V. Gordlevski about Islamization and
national-religious minorities of the Ottoman Empire." The reporter
presented the origin of the problem and the approach of the Russian
scientific school to it. In his report A. Safaryan also mentioned
the importance of studying=2 0the problem of Armenians’ apostasy in
our country.

The report of the president of the scientific-cultural center
"Hamshen," Artavazd Tulimjanyan, representing Russia, was devoted
to the present condition of Hamshens inhabited in the RF Krasnodar
krai. The author of the report has been long conducting research in
this direction. At the conference he also raised the question of the
Hamshens inhabited in Russia requiring undelayable solution.

Te last report pf the conference was devoted to the Armenian
architecture in Hamshen. The author of the report is Doctor Margarit
Hakhnazaryan, however, the report was presented by the specialist of
Armenian Architecture history Samvel Karapetyan. The Conference was
followed by interesting question, answers and discussions.

One may state as a fact that the conference was a success, and at
the same time it became a stimulus of studying the problem of Hamshen
Armenians scientifically. It has also proved the existence of Armenian
specialists engaged in the problem and its details.

ISSUES ON BOOSTING COOPERATION WITHIN THE CSTO DISCUSSED

ARMENPRESS
JULY 22

Armenian National Assembly Speaker Tigran Torosian received today
Secretary General of the CSTO Nikolay Bordyuzha.

National Assembly press service told Armenpress that the speaker
said that though the reason of the meeting are "Rubezh 2008" military
exercises, there are many issues to discuss connected with the work
of the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly, boosting cooperation within the
framework of CSTO, etc.

Torosian underscored the activity of the CSTO PA, referring to the
prospects of the development the basis of which includes clear ideas
and principles, new and direct ways of cooperation. The NA speaker
also noted that Armenia’s parliament has already ratified all the
agreements connected with the work of the CSTO and is ready for
continuation of close cooperation.

Nikolay Bordyuzha highly underscored the military exercises conducted
in Armenia. Referring to the works of the CSTO PA, he underscored the
deepening of cooperation, saying that an effective way of doing it
is to conduct closed meetings of the speakers of parliaments as well
as meetings of the parliamentary delegations in the international
institutions.

Tigran Torosian greeted the direct steps suggested towards the increase
of efficiency of the activity of the CSTO PA and expressed readiness
to support their implementation. According to his assessment, CSTO
is not an organization of collective war but of collective peace
and everything possible must be done towards the cooperation and
maintenance of peace.

The NA speaker underscored the forwarding of concrete issues and
finding mechanisms for their solutions and the role and importance
of parliaments in doing it.

T. Torosian said that "Rubezh 2008" military exercises are
qualitatively new step and open new prospects of cooperation

GOLDEN APRICOT SHOULD BECOME CULTURAL PLATFORM WHERE CREATIVE CONCEPTIONS AND QUALIFIED FILM PRODUCTION WILL BE PERIODICALLY BORN,- CINEMATOGRAPHIC FIGURES THINK

NOYAN TAPAN

JU LY 21

The organizers of the Golden Apricot (Voske Tsiran) 5th International
Film Festival are sure that the suuccessful realization of the newly –
born Pan-Armenian Film Project will create Armenian and Panarmenian
cinematographic environment. Moreover, it is by this very initiative
that Armenia will have a place in the world cinema sphere. Famed
Armenain and abroad – living Armenain cinematographic figures who
take part in the program wish to make the film festival the cultural
platform where creative conceptions and qualified film production
will be periodically born.

On July 19, during the meeting of Armenian film directors cimena
critic Davit Mouradian noted that the Panarmenian Film Project forum
is one of the most interesting and cleverest ways of providing the
progress of Armenian cimena. According to him, "each of the Armenian
directors living and creating in different parts of the world bears
inside not only the Armenian essence but also the experience of the
culture in which he lives and creates".

And celebrated Canadian Armenian film director Atom Egoyan considered
the project realizeable, "The beauty of the project is in the fact
that several individual handwritings can be seen in one film. For us
this project is a challenge. We should think how we can rouse interest
in the world audience.

The problem is how directors will be able to cover their individual
expenditures".

Famous film director Roman Balayan who lives in Russia, sees the main
problem of the project in the script. "The most difficult period will
be when the script is ready: agreements, disagreements". Roman Balayan
didn’t agree to the two names of a feature film and a documentary
decided in advance, "I didn’t like the so-called grave Armenian themes
of "land" and "home". Not long ago a poor man was selling something at
the hotel. I came up to him, talked to him. It was a wonderful person,
a very good man. The film could be shot about him also. Do only the
Armenians have home and land in the world?"

At the end of the meeting Roman Balayan addressed to those who are
going to work at the films, saying, "The world isn’t so interested
in how we cry as it is in how we laugh".

AMB. SMESSOV: FRANCE HAS INITIAL FOUR PRIORITIES FOR SIX-MONTH EU PRESIDENCY

PanARMENIAN.Net
17.07.2008 16:34 GMT+04:00

France’s initial four priorities for the six-month Presidency – energy
and climate change, immigration, defense, and a review of the EU’s
farm policy. A major "energy-climate package" will be presented by
the end of 2008 and then considered during the EU Climate Conference
in Copenhagen in 2009, France’s Ambassador to Armenia Serge Smessov
said in an interview with PanARMENIAN.Net.

"France will also seek to promote nuclear energy as an important energy
source to ensure diversification and security of supply. A key focus
will be on the development of nuclear equipment safety and the issue
of waste management," he said.

"France wants to make progress on a common European immigration policy
during its presidency, with the sensitive issue of illegal immigration
top of its list. The planned "immigration pact" would rely on three
pillars: the refusal of ‘en masse’ regularizations, a harmonization of
asylum policies and rules for the return of illegal immigrants. The
pact will be submitted to the EU heads of state and governments in
October with a purpose to encourage the migration policy."

According to him, amid highly important issues is the farm policy,
which includes food independence, decrease of food expenditure
inequality, sustainable development, ecology protection, high quality
and safety.

As to European security and defense, he said, France doesn’t possess
means for participation in global processes but follows the principle
of compatibility with NATO.

"Problems in Balkans, Middle East, Asia and Oceania will also be in
focus. Besides, the Irish ‘No’ pushed the Lisbon Treaty at the very top
of an already busy agenda. However, these priorities do not restrict
attention to other international issues," the Ambassador resumed.

MY SUGGESTIONS FOR A MORE PERFECT DEMOCRACY

Turkish Daily News
July 16, 2008 Wednesday

Numerous terms have been used to describe the sides of Turkey’s
Civil Cold War: Islamists vs. secularists; Turkey vs. Turkey;
Muslim democrats vs. secular fascists; display (observant) Muslims
vs. secular Muslims; liberal Muslims vs. illiberal seculars, and many
more. Anyone has the liberty to choose his/her favorite branding.But
reading the pieces of the fascinating propaganda war in favor of the
Muslim democrats’ one cannot help inventing a more realistic branding:
Good guys vs. bad guys! Reading the daily propaganda material one
recognizes how amazing it is to see that the AKP and its supporters
do not come close to perfection, but they are in fact perfect, if not
better than perfect! At the opposite end, the AKP’s opponents are so
evil that they can be held responsible for anything one could imagine:
9/11, the 1999 earthquake, Iran’s nuclear ambitions, Kim Jong Il’s
rule, famine in Africa, the 2003 tsunami, the massacre of Armenians
in 1915-1920, HIV, SARS, the tick disease and WW II.

Kemalist nuclear weapons?:

Most recently, a staunchly pro-AKP newspaper, Taraf, claimed that
the Ergenekon gang could have masterminded the activities of all
big names in Turkey’s list of terrorist organizations, including the
Kurdish-Islamist Hizbollah and the PKK. More importantly, according
to that newspaper, Taraf, the Kemalist members of Ergenekon could have
had ambitions to develop nuclear, biological and chemical weapons. We
better cut the nonsense and produce ideas to further perfect
our almost-perfect democracy. Here are my suggestions:1. Mustafa
Kemal Ataturk’s pictures and other memorabilia should be removed
from schools and public offices.2. Journalists critical of the
government should be arrested on charges of terrorism3. A dozen
million or so anti-government protestors who staged pro-secularism
rallies last year should be identified and arrested as part of
the Ergenekon investigation.4. Secularism should be abolished
and declared illegal. 5. The Ulema should decide whether laws are
constitutional. 6. Since the Sunnis are in majority the Alevis should
be told where and how to practice religion. Preferably, the Alevis
should be democratically’ convinced to disband their faith and join
the Sunnis.7. More observant businesses should be granted a 30 percent
tax break. Less observant businesses should not be allowed to bid in
public tenders.8.

The Islamic turban should not be allowed on campus, but it must
be made the compulsory headwear for female students. 9. Having a
wife with the turban and avoidance of pork and alcohol and regular
attendance to Friday prayers should be added to the public employees
act as prerequisites for promotion.10. Bulent Arinc, former Parliament
speaker and the AKP’s number three, made a very good point last
year when he suggested that the secularists were trying to block
the presidency of a religious man. So, I owe the inspiration for
this idea to Mr. Arinc: The Constitution should explicitly say
that the president, the Parliament speaker, the prime minister,
cabinet ministers and senior judges should be religious men. In case
of doubt as to how religious a candidate is, the Ulema should use a
holy Muslim-meter to gauge. 11. Political parties should be banned if
they feature undemocratic doctrines like secularism and Kemalism. Any
party that does not declare full commitment to the Koran should not
be allowed to enter parliamentary elections.12. The Ulema should form
an upper house, the Senate, and give their blessings when laws are
enacted in the lower house.13. Politicians found guilty of corruption
should not stand trial if they had committed this offense in the name
of political Islam.14. Since the AKP won 47 percent of the national
vote in 2007 in what everyone agrees was the most spectacular political
victory for any political party in half a century, the next elections
can be held in 15 years time. And since the CHP has proved to be an
undemocratic party half of its seats should be scrapped and given
to more democratic parties in Parliament, namely the AKP and the
DTP. Better still, the CHP should be banned and its leaders should be
sent to gaol. 15. Needless to say, alcohol and pork should be banned
altogether. Liars, crooks, conmen, rapists, embezzlers, woman-beaters
can be tolerated if they are good Muslims. 16. Islamist columnists,
especially older than 80 years of age, should not be prosecuted if
they sexually abused children. 17. The legal detention period for
anti-government activists should be 12 years with or without an
indictment. 18. The Ulema (the Senate) should also elect military
leaders on the basis of their observance. In the unlikely event that
generals are not pious enough the Ulema can appoint a lieutenant
colonel as chief of General Staff. 19.

The military headquarters and units should be stripped of access to
tanks, ammunition, artillery and other weaponry. Access codes should
be in the possession of the prime minister only.20. For a better
functioning of democracy parliamentary immunities should be maintained
except for opposition members of Parliament. 21. All Turkish families
should be required to have at least three children. Those families
with fewer children should be subject to 25 percent extra tax. Legal
marriage age for girls should be reduced to eight.22. The Constitution
should be amended so as to describe the country as the Muslim
Democratic State of Turkey instead of the Republic of Turkey. That
will give Turkey a more democratic flavor. 23. Opposition newspapers
should be banned. Alternatively, any opposition to the government can
be banned.24. The color of the Turkish flag should be changed from
red to green. That unnecessary Star’ can be scrapped. The Crescent’
is good enough.

25. Less pious citizens should not be allowed to vote. 26. Court
rulings should not become effective before a seal of approval from
the government.